In Distress
by reluctant-reporter
Summary: Reese wakes up in a motel room, covered in blood, with no memory of the night before.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Life, blah blah blah. This is my second Life fic. It takes place after season one but before season two and goes AU from there. I would appreciate readers to review and tell me what they liked, didn't like and any suggestions they have for this story since I have no idea where I'm going with this one. All mistakes are mine. Thanks in advance for reading.---

It wasn't the first time that Dani Reese woke up with no memory of what had taken place the night before. However, she was a fairly predictable person so it usually wasn't that hard for her to figure out what had gone down. It always seemed to involve three things: a bar, a man and a motel—and usually in that order.

This morning was different, though. First, she was alone in an unfamiliar bed. That in itself was not necessarily unusual. Second, she had no idea where her clothes were, even after she scanned the ugly dark brown carpet of what had to be a motel room and found nothing, not even a shoe. Third, through, and most important were the streaks of what appeared to be dried blood coating her arms, hands and what felt like her face.

Groaning, Dani rolled from underneath the stiff sheets and comforter which had brown and green flowers that matched the shitty carpet of the room. She was always amazed by how many motels refused to update their décor but when one rented by the hour, the last thing they had on their minds would be that the color pallet was probably chosen with the intent to hide stains in order to save on the cost of a good scrubbing which was definitely not done after every checkout. As her feet hit the rough shagged floor, she once again looked around and only found a key on the floor, next to the bed, with a brown plastic disc attached and the number nine printed on it in white. She gingerly made her way to the bathroom, expecting to see the grungy green tile but was dismayed to find that it was empty of clothing as well. A single bath towel hung on the curtain rod like it had been used but obviously not by her since she was still covered in brownish stains. The towel was a dingy white but it looked free of blood, or what she assumed was blood. The shower curtain was missing but the little plastic rings it used to hang on were still there. She wasn't sure if that meant anything, yet.

After using the bathroom, she quickly went to the window and peaked out from behind a heavy brown curtain but could not see her vehicle in the parking lot. Sighing, she sat down heavily on the bed. It was probably a good thing she felt so hung over since it seemed to keep the panic she was feeling in her chest from bursting out. Using a shaking, stained hand to try to comb through her thick tangled hair she took stock of her situation. She was alone, naked and stranded, in a motel room she did not recognize next to a street she wasn't familiar with. She had no purse, so no money and no cell phone. There was, however, a phone sitting on the small table next to the bed. And on that table was a phone book stamped with 'Property of Macey Motel'. Well, that was two problems solved. Reaching for the phone, she followed the instructions laminated on the table explaining how to dial out and called the first person she thought of.

"Crews," greeted the gruff, half-asleep voice of her partner.

She hadn't even thought to glance at a clock so it must have been early if he had still been asleep. She licked her lips and glanced around the room again, not sure what to say.

"Hey, it's Reese," she said, her voice deep and scratchy since her throat felt like sandpaper.

"Reese? It's six in the morning and our day off. You miss me already?" he joked and she could hear the rustle of sheets and blankets and a slight groan which must have meant he was sitting up.

She opened her mouth to answer him but again she completely blanked with what to say back. Normally she would have dryly answered that she wasn't sure if anyone could miss a pain in their ass, or she would have completely ignored his comment and told him what she wanted in her bossy no-nonsense tone.

"Reese, are you okay? Where are you?" Crews asked, voice sharpening but still calm.

"Macey Motel," she replied, her voice rough and flat.

"Dani, are you all right?" Crews asked as she heard more movement which sounded like doors opening.

_Crews must be getting up and getting dressed._

"Umm, I think so…I, uh, need you to come and get me," she said, as she took the edge of the comforter and wrapped it around herself.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line but she could still hear Crews breathing and the sounds of him moving around.

"Where is Macey Motel?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice softening.

"You don't know?" he repeated.

"I think I drank last night. I don't really remember," she said, gripping the handle of the phone.

"Reese, what did you mean by you think that you are all right?" Crews asked.

This time she was silent as she debated how much to tell him over the phone. Twisting the phone cord with her other hand, she looked around the room again, hoping an answer would pop out. None did.

"I feel really hung over and I don't remember how I got here or who I was with. I can't find my clothes, purse or phone. And I think I have blood on me."

"Is it your blood?" he asked quietly.

"No, I don't feel hurt or anything. I'm not sure if I should wash it off, though," she answered.

It was ingrained in her from an early age, since her father was a cop, that if a crime had occurred, or possibly occurred, then every shred of evidence needed to be saved. She wasn't sure of what she had been involved with the night before, but bathing might make her look guilty if something bad had happened to someone else. It could also imply that she was that something bad that had happened. Either way, she didn't really know what to do.

"Just sit tight, okay. I'll put the motel in my GPS and be there as soon as possible. Don't open the door for anyone but me," Crews ordered.

Dani nodded until it occurred to her that he couldn't hear her nod.

"Dani?"

"Yes, okay. I'll wait. Could you hurry, please?"

"I'm out the door right now. It's going to be okay," he said, trying to sound reassuring.

"I think I'm a long way from okay," she said before hanging up.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It seems many are "intrigued" by this story so I hope I don't disappoint. It has been awhile since I've watched season one so if any big mistakes were made with the story line, let me know and I'll fix it. Otherwise, if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me. Thanks for reading and reviews are encouraged and appreciated.---

It was safe to say that Charlie Crews was worried. He tried every day not to worry, tried to stay in the moment and not think about how he would tie Jack Reese to the Seybolt killings someday, how he would make that son of a bitch pay for setting him up and sending him into Hell for 12 years. He also tried not to think about what that might do to his partnership with Dani Reese. Could you still be partners and friends with the man who destroyed your father? But all that really didn't matter right now. Dani was in trouble and needed his help. Yup, he was definitely worried.

Macey Motel was in one of the seediest parts of the city, a place where even drug dealers would think twice about going. It was a crime-ridden cesspool that Reese had no business being near without a gun, a bullet proof vest and him as backup. The motel itself was a long L shaped building with peeling off-white paint and a long row of grimy, screen covered doors with letters sloppily painted on. The parking lot had chunks of concrete missing and the lines separating parking spaces had long ago faded.

"This is not making me feel any better," he mumbled to himself as he got out of his car and leaned against the open driver's door to stare at the building.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, quickly paging through the menu until he got to calls received and dialed back the number Reese had called him from earlier.

"Yeah?" she answered, her voice sounding similar to when she had a cold a few months ago and spent half a week sneezing all over his desk at work as she sat slumped over her own. He hadn't minded at the time, just kept handing her oranges for vitamin C which she surprising ate.

"I'm here, which room are you at?" he asked.

"Number nine," she said.

Crews looked at the building and noted that nine was one of the last rooms towards the edge of the longer side of the building. There were no vehicles parked in front of or around the door. In fact, there were only three other cars in the parking lot besides his making the place seem even more isolated. He also noted that Reese's sedan, similar to the used one he had gotten out of police impound to drive around until he found a new vehicle, was nowhere in sight.

"See you in a minute," he said, hanging up, shutting the car door and walking purposely towards door number nine.

The screen door squealed when he opened it. He gently knocked against the chipped, once red paint that covered the door and waited impatiently for a response that never came. Cautiously, he twisted the knob and swung the door open when he found it unlocked. He stepped in the room, closing the door behind him and squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the room. It took a minute before he could make out the slim shape of Reese sitting with her back against the wall at the head of a sagging, full-sized bed with a comforter covering her. He narrowed his eyes at the streaks of dark brown coating her face, mostly the right side, and arms. _Shit._

"Hey," she said, staring at him with dark puffy eyes. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem," he replied, walking further into the room until he was practically hovering over her. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Reese delicately shrugged. She looked like she had been on one hell of a bender but Crews had a feeling that she had more then alcohol in her blood stream. While it was true that she was an alcoholic, drugs were her addiction of choice and after kicking the habit she avoided them at all costs. Crews clearly remembered that during the first case they worked and she had gotten covered with cocaine when the perp had shot at her, she had reacted like hot tar had been poured on her and she was desperate to get it off. She had begged him to help her and if it was one thing Reese hated it was showing any kind of weakness. Apparently, though, he was exempt to that rule because he was the first person she called when she needed help which made him feel good, very alpha male. Of course, he could never tell him that.

"How do you think I feel? I look like shit and feel like shit. That about covers it," she snapped, but her tone lacked its usual bite.

Crews nodded and crouched down so that they were face to face as he carefully studied her. The brown stains, which from his experience were most certainly blood, streaked her arms, neck and face but her bare shoulders and the expanse of tanned skin above her covered breasts were clear. Her chocolate brown hair also had spots where blood had clumped sections together, mostly surrounding her face.

"Are you sure you aren't hurt, it looks like your face is bruised a little on the left side," Crews said, noticing an area of discoloration.

Without thinking, he lightly ran his hand across that side of her face to make sure it was a bruise and found that it had slightly swelled. He then ran his hand down her naked shoulder and left arm as he studied the dried substance. His hand stopped at her elbow and he used the fingernail on his index finger to scrape lightly against her skin. He took his hand away and raised his finger carefully to eyelevel as he studied what had flaked off, careful not the breath on it so that it stayed. _Yup, pretty sure that's blood._

Sighing, he glanced up into Reese's face and caught her staring at him, eyes wide and eyebrows slightly furrowed. It took him a couple seconds to realize why she looked surprised and a little confused. He was normally careful not to touch Reese very often and when he did it was always light and friendly. She didn't like to be touched and he tried to respect that. Over time, though, he noticed that she didn't seem to mind when he would stand close to her to talk. Sometimes their arms would touch because they were walking side by side and were too deep in conversation or thought to notice the lack of space between them. He could probably even hug her and not have her jerk away from him like last time, although he would have to have a damn good reason for the hug to keep her from ripping his head off.

"Is there blood anywhere else that I can't see?" he asked, snapping back into the moment where he needed to be.

"No," Reese said. "Just my arms and face."

"Do you still not remember anything from last night?" he asked.

Reese pursed her lips and shook her head no. Crews stood up and reached into the pockets of the jeans he had thrown on during her phone call. He pulled several small plastic baggies and a pair of tweezers.

"I'm going to get some samples so we can make sure this is blood. We should also take pictures just in case," he said, pulling out his cell phone from his other pocket.

Reese nodded and held still as he scraped her arm, neck and face, putting the flakes into individual bags and keeping them in order by stacking them. He then carefully pulled out a few strands of her hair that were coated and put those in bags as well. She was silent as he took pictures with his cell phone, again making sure he got close ups of her arms, neck and face. He then moved about the room, snapping pictures of everything at several angles.

"I've got some clothes in my car. They'll be too big but I doubt it will matter since we're going to the hospital anyway," he announced.

Reese opened her mouth, probably to argue, but quickly closed it. Charlie just stared at her, back ramrod straight as he waited for an argument. He was surprised when she just nodded. That worried him. Reese hardly ever backed down, even when she knew it was inevitable that she would lose. He caught her eyelids drooping and realized she was probably just exhausted and still a little drunk or high. Once they checked her out in the emergency room and she got some sleep, she would be back to her normal belligerent self. He quickly retrieved some clothes he had grabbed on his way out of the house from the car and told Reese not to wash the blood off yet. He planned on calling Davis on their way to the hospital and he didn't want to make things more difficult for either of them by being accused of destroying evidence.

Reese disappeared into the bathroom and came out a couple of minutes later wearing baggy athletic shorts, a large t-shirt and a huge sweatshirt with the hood covering her hair and most of her face. She looked like she was drowning in his clothes and they only made her look even smaller and more lost then before.

"Let's go," he said, draping an arm over her shoulder and steering her out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the wait, it's been a crazy couple of weeks and I just didn't have the time or energy to work on this. I have some ideas of where I want to take this story and will hopefully have another chapter done soon. Thanks for the reviews and for reading, I appreciate it.---

Reese hated hospitals. She hated the way they smelled, the bland neutral paint that covered the walls and how her shoes always squeaked if she stopped or turned too quickly on the freshly cleaned tile floors. It was unnatural for floors to be that clean all the time. Realistically she knew that no one liked hospitals, with the exception of those who ran them or worked there and of coarse those whose lives were saved within them. Right now all she wanted was a shower, a bed and some toast to calm her queasy stomach. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead and shifted on the padded exam table she was sitting on, causing the paper covering it to loudly crinkle which caught Crews' attention.

Crews was looking like he wasn't feeling too hot either. He was sprawled out on a plastic chair in front of her, making the room seem even smaller then it was. She didn't mind that, though. The doctor and nurse attending her had made him leave the exam room earlier while they took blood, conducted a rape test, and performed a physical. It wasn't until they let him back in that she felt like she could take a deep breath again. Crews had asked her for the hundredth time if she was all right when he had walked back in and she shot him a dirty look and told him to sit down and shut up. He gave her a small smile as he did what she ordered and quietly told her that Davis was on the way. They had been sitting in silence ever since. She did notice that Crews kept glancing at her, light blue eyes worried and lips pressed in a thin line. He was also jiggling his left leg and you could hear the movement as the back of his thigh repeatedly hit the plastic seat. As time passed, the jiggling was getting louder and faster and it was driving Reese nuts.

"Knock it off," she barked as she stretched out her bare leg and placed her foot, also bare and dirty on the bottom since Crews forgot to bring her some shoes, on top of his knee cap.

"Sorry," he said, his leg stilling and Reese pulled her foot away.

The silence must have been too much for Crews, though, because he immediately started babbling about a new fruit stand that had been erected on one of the streets he took on his way to work every morning. Apparently, not only did the stand have the best bananas he'd ever tasted but the owner had a pet monkey that sometimes sat on the man's shoulder while he sold fruit. Crews always gave the monkey one of his bananas and the monkey would jump from his owner's shoulder onto Crews' arm while he ate.

"I'm glad to hear you're making new friends," Dani said dryly, staring at her partner in wonder. Sometimes, she was still surprised by some of the things that came out of that man's mouth.

"I thought about getting a pet monkey, but Ted shot that idea down pretty quick. I'm too busy with work and it wouldn't be fair to the little guy," Crews continued, as if she hadn't said anything.

"It wouldn't be fair to raise a monkey in a single parent household if you don't have to," she agreed.

Crews finally cracked a real smile and Dani felt the corners of her mouth lift as well. She knew Crews was trying to take her mind off of what was currently happening to her by getting her annoyed with him and usually his non-stop talking would have done the job but right now she was too grateful to have him there with her to get angry.

"Dani, are you all right? What's going on?" Davis asked, the door to the exam room swinging shut behind her as she studied Reese, searching for injuries.

Reese swore that if she heard someone ask her if she was all right one more time, she was going to scream.

"I'm fine, L.T. Just not sure what happened last night," Reese said.

She told Davis everything that she remembered from the time she woke up through Crews bringing her to the hospital. She kept her voice as detached and emotionless as possible, which wasn't hard because she was too tired to feel much of anything besides a slight tinge of worry of being in the middle of an unknown situation. As she spoke, Crews would break in with his own comments of what he observed and Davis quietly listened.

"The doctor said that she wouldn't be surprised if Reese had been drugged which would explain the memory loss," Crews said.

Davis sighed and jotted down some notes in a small, rectangular notebook she had in her purse.

"Right. Look Dani, we're going to figure this out but in the mean time, I want you to take some time off. You have some vacation time coming so it shouldn't be a problem and you can stay with me if you want," Davis said.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine at home. I'm only going to take tomorrow off," Reese said.

"We'll see. I'm going to speak to the doctor and then head back to the station. Crews, you keep an eye on her and I'll see you tomorrow," Davis ordered before exiting the room.

The room was quiet again and Dani placed her arms behind her with her hands braced against the padded cushion of the exam table as she leaned, stretching her back. She closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them to discover Crews staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You didn't argue with her about taking a day's vacation," Crews said, his head against the wall but turned so that he could look at her.

"So?"

"So, you never agree to anything that easily," Crews said, eyebrows raised.

"I do when I know arguing is useless. Besides, Davis is worried about me and I thought a day off was a good compromise instead of having a week off. I would go stir crazy with nothing to do for a week," she said, hopping off the table. "Can we go now?"

He nodded since the doctor had already talked with both of them, letting them know that they would get back to them with the results of the blood test once they came in. The rape test had come back negative of any sexual activity, which Reese was relieved about and from the expression on his face, Crews had been too.

"Let's roll."


	4. Chapter 4

Again, sorry about the wait on this chapter, just haven't been in the writing mood lately. Thanks to everyone who's been reading, especially those who have commented. I appreciate it. Constructive criticism is welcome; especially since I still haven't gotten around to re-watching season one to make sure I'm accurate. If I'm way off the mark about something and it bothers you, let me know.---

"Crews, this isn't my house."

The drive from the hospital had been quiet, the silence only punctuated by the sporadic snores coming from Reese who was safely asleep in the passenger seat next to Charlie. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he kept glancing at his partner, trying to keep his driving gentle so that he didn't accidently wake her while jerking to a stop at a light or a stop sign. He never would have guessed that Reese snored. To be fair, it was a soft, almost lady-like kind of snore. That didn't mean he wouldn't tease her about it later. Ted snored and it sounded like a jet engine. He himself was a silent sleeper, although since leaving prison his dreams weren't always that tranquil and he had woken up various bedmates by talking and yelling in his sleep. It didn't really matter since he only slept with the women once and usually never saw them again.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Reese demanded as Charlie put the car in park and turned off the ignition.

"You need to get some sleep and I need a place to start working so we can figure out what happened to you last night," Crews said, nodding toward the front of his house.

"I can sleep at my house," she said, her teeth starting to clench as she tried to stay calm.

Charlie looked at her, waiting for her to turn her head away from his house and make eye contact with him. He kept his voice calm, knowing that Reese was about to erupt due to exhaustion, stress and her natural bad temper.

"I know but I won't be able to get a locksmith to your place until this afternoon," he said.

"You think someone took my keys with plans of using them to break in and kill me while I sleep," she scoffed.

Charlie gave her a look that clearly implied that was exactly what he was thinking.

"If someone wanted me dead, they had plenty of opportunities last night and this morning to make that happen," Reese said.

"I know, but I'm not going to leave you somewhere alone and vulnerable while you sleep off whatever's in your system," Charlie said. "We'll get your locks changed and after you've had some sleep I'll take you home."

Reese sighed, exhaling loudly through her nose.

"I hate it when you use reason with me and actually make sense," she growled. "You do realize I know you aren't actually crazy and I just put up with your quirks because I don't want to have to break in another partner."

"I know and it's very magnanimous of you," he grinned.

"As soon as the locks are changed, I'm going home," she stated.

He nodded in agreement and opened the driver's side door. She did the same and he breathed out in relief. That had not gone as bad as he expected. Of course, when she realized that when she went home, he was going with her, she was going to be extremely pissed. Davis had told him to keep an eye on her and that's what he intended to do, literally. He just didn't feel right about leaving her on her own anywhere, especially since neither of them had a clue about what was going on right now.

They walked up the driveway and front walk together, arms brushing and both stopped short before they reached the door when they found a beautiful redheaded woman blocking their way. She had just turned around and looked like she was going back to a car that Charlie and Reese hadn't noticed since it was parked further down the circular driveway. She stopped in surprise as well, nervously looking at Charlie before glancing at Reese in curiosity which turned into concern when she saw that state the woman was in.

"Olivia, what are you doing here?"

Dani studied the busty redhead in front of her whose name was apparently Olivia. To be honest, she really didn't look like Crews' type although, after 12 years in prison, it probably didn't matter all that much to him. A beautiful woman was a beautiful woman. Still, it seemed kind of wrong as Dani looked back and forth between the two of them. Maybe it was because of the similar hair color and pale skin that kind of made it look like they should be related, not bed-buddies.

Crews, as if sensing her thoughts, quickly spoke again before Olivia could answer his question, "This is my father's fiancée, Olivia. Olivia, this is my partner, Detective Dani Reese."

"Nice to meet you," Olivia quietly murmured and Dani politely nodded.

That would explain why Crews didn't look very happy to see her. Dani couldn't see him being rude to a woman, even a one night stand he might never have expected to see again. The way her partner was tensed up beside her; a small, fake smile on his face while he tried to be polite but clearly did not want to be, told her volumes about his relationship with his father. That and the fact he never spoke about his family. Then again, she never pushed because she had plenty of her own dirty laundry that he never bothered her about.

"I'm sorry to show up unannounced, but I would really like to talk to you without you disappearing again," Olivia said.

"Look, I appreciate that you are trying to mend fences between my father and I but you're wasting your time," Crews said. "What he did I won't forgive and you're going to have to respect that."

"I understand that but I really think…is she all right," Olivia asked.

Dani had been following the conversation in fascination until she felt her body start to sway. They had warned her at the hospital that she might feel dizzy or sick while the drugs left her system so she didn't panic when she started to feel light headed and her hands shook a little. Crews reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, bringing her body up against his so she could hold onto him to keep herself up.

"It's been a rough morning," he said, tossing his keys to Olivia. "Open the door, would you."

"Of course," she said. "Is that blood on her?"

Crews didn't answer as Olivia unlocked the door, opened it and stepped inside. He put all of his attention on assisting Dani as she tried to walk through the doorway. Once they made it inside, he kicked the door shut with his foot and bent over, placing his unoccupied arm underneath her legs to lift her up bridal style. She made a protesting noise but didn't speak because she knew she wasn't going to be able to get around on her own anyway.

"Thanks," he said to Olivia as he crossed the hall and started up the stairs.

"Wait," Dani ordered.

Crews stopped and gave her a look, "You're sick and you're going to sleep here. We already agreed."

"It's not that. I can't go to bed all grimy and covered in blood. I need a shower," she stated.

He raised his eyebrows at her in surprise, "You can't shower by yourself."

"No shit, and you're not going to help me either. She is," Dani said, pointing to Olivia.


	5. Chapter 5

Again, my apologies for not getting this done sooner but every time I tired to write this chapter, it just wouldn't come out right. Finally, I just erased the sucker and started all over again with better results. Thanks for reading.---

Showering in front of Crews' future stepmother was strange to say the very least, but it kept Crews firmly outside the closed bathroom door instead of inside the bathroom with her. Dani had already had one embarrassing experience involving her partner and a shower and she really did not want another. Sure, she knew he would be a perfect gentleman about it and that he was worried she might collapse and only wanted to be there to help her, but she was drawing a line at them being shower buddies.

All she had to do was get clean as fast as possible, dry herself off and change into yet another set of clothes borrowed from Crews' closet. Then she could pass out for a few hours and go home after her locks were changed. She could do that.

"Everything okay in there?" she heard Crews yell from the hallway where she imagined he was calmly leaning against the wall next to the door, ready to sweep in and save the day if needed.

"Crews, if you don't go away I'm going to go straight home, locks be damned. Now shut the hell up and let me shower in peace," Dani yelled, scrubbing shampoo into her scalp a little harder then necessary.

She could almost see the dumb smirk on Crews face and as she glanced through the clear glass surrounding the enormous shower stall that was next to a bathtub that made her mouth water due to the sheer size of it, she caught a small smile grace Olivia's face. The red haired woman was standing against the bathroom sink across from Dani, next to the door with her eyes averted to the window above the tub.

_At least someone's entertained._

The appearance of Olivia did tickle Dani's curiosity but she wasn't about to interrogate the woman. Yet. Not while Crews was right outside the door and likely to hear every word spoken, anyway. So Crews had issues with his father, who didn't. She certainly could not grill him over his past with his family if she was unwilling to answer similar questions herself. Besides, knowing Crews, he would bring the subject up himself in some random Zen way or just flat out say whatever was on his mind on the subject while they sat in the car together at work or ate lunch on the hood of the department issued car. Sooner or later, she would get answers. Besides, she had already gathered that Charlie Crews Sr. had done something pretty bad for his son not to be able to forgive him. Wasn't forgiveness a Zen thing?

She quickly finished her shower, only occasionally staring at the floor of the stall where streams of pink water were quickly sucked down the drain. She quietly thanked Olivia when she handed her a towel and dried off. She dressed and used the towel to squeeze the excess water from her hair before yanking the door open to glare at her partner.

"Well, you look like you're feeling better already. And you're pissed at me so we know that's a good sign," Crews said, grinning widely as he tweaked a strand of her wet hair that was starting to curl.

She batted his hand away and fought the urge to give him a good punch on the arm since it would be stooping to his juvenile level. He must have seen the look of impending violence on her face because his smile got even bigger and he gave a nod indicating the long hallway in front of her. She threw the wet towel at him and started walking in the direction he indicated.

"You're room awaits. I figured I would call Davis and we would start looking into where you went last night while you slept. Maybe you'll remember something when you wake up," Crews said, following Dani down the hall.

She stopped at the doorway to the last bedroom and found a large room with only a simple yet soft looking king sized bed and night stand with a digital clock. The room screamed Crews. Dani just stared, ignoring Crews' invitation to go in.

"This is your room," she stated, turning to look up at him and ignoring the curious gaze of Olivia, who was following behind them as well.

"Yes it is but don't worry. The sheets are clean and the mattress is comfortable. I spared no expense on it," he said.

She snorted. Of course Crews had the Bentley of mattresses. The man barely had any personal items but what he did have always reeked of money. He definitely believed in quality over quantity.

"I'm not taking over your bedroom," she said.

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, "Reese, while I have guestrooms, you think I have any furniture in them? I won't need the bed for awhile and by nightfall, you will be safe and snug in your own bed."

_And hopefully you will be feeling generous and let me sleep on your couch, _he thought.

"Fine," she snapped as she marched into the room, yanked back the covers and slid into what had to be the most comfortable piece of sleeping technology she had ever encountered.

She muttered indecipherably as Crews quietly wished her sweet dreams and snuggled into the pillow, wrapping what had to be a down comforter around herself. She heard the door quietly shut and the voices of Crews and Olivia slowly buzz away from her new sanctuary. She quickly drifted off to sleep, surrounded by the clean, fruity smell of Charlie Crews.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about taking so long to update. Real life just got in the way. I will finish this story sooner or later. Thanks for hanging in there!-

Not only did his time at Pelican Bay teach Charlie how to appreciate his life in a way he never had before, it also taught him to trust his intuition and to use his reflexes to react before his mind could think and overanalyze situations as they were happening. Because of those quick reflexes, he was able to yank his foot out of the way and take a step back before Reese's front door slammed shut practically in his face. Not only was he saved from a broken foot but from a broken nose as well.

"Go home Crews," Reese shouted through the door, thumping her fist against it to emphasize her point.

Charlie put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight back onto his heels, the picture of calmness.

"You know I can't, Reese. Not unless you come with me," he loudly replied.

"Not happening. Just go away, I can take care of myself," she yelled.

Charlie sighed and looked up into the sky. The sun was beginning to set and the air was getting cooler. He was glad he had left a jacket in the car since it looked like that was where he would be spending the night.

"I know you can handle yourself. That's not the issue," Crews yelled back.

"So what is? You wouldn't be acting this way if I were a guy," she said.

That certainly made Charlie pause because in a way she was right. Although, to be fair, Stark had never gotten into a situation like Reese was in. Usually when Stark was in trouble it was with his wife and he just needed a couch to sleep on for the night or Charlie would have to pick up his drunken friend at the bar after a particularly hard day on the job. Those things were normal things partners did for each other; they had each other's backs. Maybe he was more protective of Reese because she was a woman but all he was doing was having her back. If he was honest, Reese was more important to him then Bobby. Even though Bobby was doing his best to repair their friendship, Reese had already proved herself to be extremely loyal in the short time she had known him. Reese had earned his complete trust and he knew he had hers. To him, that was everything.

"Look, something bad is happening and it's a long way from being over. I'm not going to leave you by yourself until we have some idea what we're up against," he said. "I would expect you to do the same if the positions were in reverse."

"No, I would respect your wishes to be alone because I know I'd want the same thing, which I do," she replied after a moment of silence. "Just go away, Crews!"

"No. I'll be in my car in front of your house if you need me," he said.

He walked away from the door, down the steps and across the sidewalk to the car parked in the street. He knew she was probably cursing and giving him a dirty look through her front window but he wasn't going to budge. She was too important for him to lose.

Things had been extremely tense after Reese woke up late that afternoon at his house. She seemed to be feeling better which meant that she was louder and angrier then she had been that morning which was a huge relief to Crews. She argued with him over him making her a late lunch and what she would eat (she ended up making her own sandwich while he cut up an apple for her); she argued over spending the night at his place (she won that one, obviously, and he took her home); and she argued about him having an extra key to her house which the locksmith had dropped off a couple of hours after she had fallen asleep (he won that round but only because he gave her his extra house keys as a compromise, which he didn't mind at all). Ted had lasted about three minutes in her company during the lunch argument before he high tailed it outside to his apartment. Charlie had smiled while he watched Ted run away which caused Reese to yell at him for not taking her seriously and to "wipe that goddamned smile off his face while I'm trying to have a discussion with you". He found it hilarious that she called her yelling "a discussion" and smiled even bigger which made her yell more.

He had been sitting in his car for less than five minutes when his cell phone rang.

"Crews," he answered.

"You mind telling me why I just got a phone call from your very irate partner about you sitting in front of her house like some loony stalker who thinks that just because he's a guy he can do everything better than her?" Davis asked dryly, punctuating the sentence with a loud sigh.

"You told me to keep an eye on her," Charlie said, glancing at the house in time to see the curtain move as Reese tried to watch him and block her face at the same time.

"I did but that doesn't mean you have to follow her around or physically camp out in her street to make sure she's alright," Davis said. "You can keep in touch with her by phone or bring some take out and eat dinner with her. If someone tries to break into her house she can handle it. She is armed"

"Have you had any luck in figuring out what happened to her?" Charlie asked, changing the subject.

"Not really. I've got Stark and his partner canvassing the bars and the places she frequents when she shops and goes running but they haven't come up with anything," Davis said. "I told him that you said to keep his mouth shut about this until we knew more."

"He won't say anything," Charlie said.

Charlie knew Bobby didn't like Reese and acted like an ass towards her because he was jealous and aware that Charlie trusted her more than him. He also knew that Bobby was a good guy and that if there was a fellow cop in trouble, even Reese, then he would do what he could to help out. Being a cop was a brotherhood and while a lot of the other cops weren't very kind to Reese, when one of their own was threatened by an outside source then they banded together. It was like a pack of brothers defending an annoying younger sister. They could beat up on her themselves but if anyone else tried to, then they would not live to see tomorrow. Of course, Charlie clearing his name helped matters immensely too. People felt like they owed him their loyalty and would help out Reese by extension.

"Good. Things are tough enough for Reese as it is," Davis said. "It's also going to be hell around here for the next few days so we do not need more drama."

"Really? What's going on?" Charlie asked.

"Out-of-state cop missing," she said. "He disappeared last night and no one can find him."

"Really? Who was he?"

"Some hot-shot out of New York," she said. "Name's Kevin Tidwell."

"Okay. What was he doing here?"

"He's here to replace me."


	7. Chapter 7

I feel so bad about my lack of updates but was seriously stuck on where to go next with this story. When I started, I hadn't thought past the whole Tidwell disappearing thing and didn't want to meander around on the next chapter. After some serious brainstorming, I've got some ideas on where to go so hopefully I can get back to updating regularly. I promise I will not abandon this story, I will finish it. Thanks for hanging in there and please review; it keeps me going when people besides me care.-

Crews and his car were still out there.

Dani growled in annoyance as she looked out of her front room window for what had to have been the tenth time that evening. She could just make out the dark shape of a lean torso, shoulders and a head from a street light not far from where Crews was sitting in his parked car. She hoped that bastard was comfortable because he was not going to come in here. No way. Not tonight. Not happening.

Moving away from the window, she was careful not to touch the curtains which she hadn't closed all the way leaving her a small gap for her to use so that she could glare at her partner without him noticing. She plopped down on her couch and leaned her head against the back cushion. She was tired, angry and really worried. She knew that most of the anger rolling around inside of her wasn't really from Crews' inability to do as she asked and leave her alone; it was from the fear of not knowing what had happened to her the night before. She had been a cop long enough to know that the 'I killed someone and didn't remember it' defense wasn't really a good one and that was her biggest fear when she thought about all the possible things that could have happened to her. She was afraid that she had killed someone. The only thing keeping her from sinking into the bottle of vodka currently chilling in her freezer was the fact that she woke up in a motel room without any clothes present. Also, her doctor had been fairly certain she was drugged. That suggested that someone had checked into that hole, carried her inside and left with her clothes.

Closing her eyes she thought about what she could remember from the day before. She remembered arriving at work a few minutes before Crews, checking her voice mail and e-mail. They had been working on a homicide that appeared to have been a robbery interrupted by the unfortunate timing of the homeowner getting home early from an aerobics class. That suggested that she was being watched or someone knew the victim and her routine. After Crews got there, they checked in with Davis and then received a call from forensics stating that they identified a usable print. It didn't take long to track down the suspect, a neighbor, who buckled in interrogation and admitted to killing the woman when she had surprised him with her early arrival home. Dani had just finished her report and Charlie was still clicking away on his keyboard by the time she was ready to leave. She remembered telling him goodbye and to be good on his day off which he just answered with a grin. Then, nothing, until she woke up that morning.

After getting off the phone with Davis, she knew that she would be spending her day off investigating where she had gone after work instead of taking it easy at home like both her partner and boss wanted her to. Since everyone at work would be busy with current cases and trying to track down the missing cop from New York, she knew that Stark and his partner would be assigned something else and it would be up to her and Crews to figure out what had happened to her. Davis seemed pretty blasé about reporting the whole thing to the higher ups and Internal Affairs, probably because she was being replaced and demoted, so Dani knew they would have a least a couple of days to figure things out on her own before others got involved. She also knew it would be easier, faster and more successful to be able to do leg work with Crews, who was like a blood hound when it came to clues even the most intelligent easily missed. She also knew that Crews was in protective male mode at the moment and would not be happy with her working on her own investigation on her day off.

Coming to a decision, Dani picked up her home phone and hit the speed dial.

"Hi Reese," Crews greeted after only a couple of rings, his voice resigned as though he were waiting for her to start shouting at him.

Dani couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. She had called him not long after Davis had called her back saying that she spoke to Crews who told her that he wasn't budging. Even worse was the fact that Davis seemed to agree with his decision to sit in front of her house, at least for the time being. Dani could only sputter in outrage before Davis told her to calm down and just let Crews sit in his car in her street if it made him feel better before hanging up. She then called Crews and threatened to call 911 on his ass but Crews had calmly replied that he would just tell the cop he was fighting with his partner who wouldn't let him back into the house and it would spread all over the station that she and Crews were having some sort of lover's tiff since many thought they were sleeping together anyway. That had caused her to see red and she almost marched out of the house with the baseball bat she kept in her kitchen pantry ever since she was attacked and held hostage in her own house. Taking a deep breath, she had tried to ignore the feeling of satisfaction she would have gotten from breaking every goddamn window on the son a bitch's car and instead ranted at him for a couple of minutes, calling him every thing horrible she could think of not only in English but in her mother's tongue as well before hanging up on him. That had been a few hours ago and since Dani's temper had cooled down considerably.

"Crews," she replied. "I've come to a decision."

"Okaaay," he said, drawing the word out in confusion. "About what?"

"Tomorrow morning, after you go into the office and check in with Davis, I'll meet you in the station's garage and we can start trying to retrace my steps there," she said.

She was met with a brief silence before Crews spoke in a tone that sounded like he was finally starting to lose his temper with her. It made her smile. She was finally getting a reaction out of Mr. Zen.

"You will not be investigating anything tomorrow, Reese. You will be resting and trying to remember or think of where you might have gone after work so that I can investigate. Hopefully, we'll have located your car or someone will have turned on your cell phone to try to use it, activating the GPS," he said.

"You think you can stop me, Crews? You can't sit on my street all day to make sure I don't leave the house tomorrow. You have to go in to work so that we can figure out what's going on which will be easier to do with my help," she said.

He sighed loudly into the phone, again revealing his feelings on the matter.

"Only you, me and Davis know what's going on and you'll need help before I. A. steps in and takes my badge and gun before sending me on a long, permanent vacation." Dani said. "Is that what you want? You want me to lose my job? I can't screw up again, Crews, and being a cop is the only thing I know."

Again, she was met with silence. She smirked. If there was one way to bend Crews to her will, it was pulling the guilt card. Once she calmed down she decided that approaching Crews about her working with him the next day in anger would never work, he was used to her anger. Using guilt and manipulation, however, wasn't normally her way but that didn't mean that she couldn't do it or that it wouldn't work. It wasn't really even that manipulative because everything she said about Internal Affairs and losing her job was potentially true. She was lucky that she was Jack Reese's daughter and that Davis had backed her up over her drug problem because that could have been the end of her career.

"I'm going to go out and investigate tomorrow, no matter what. It would be safer if you came with me and we have a better chance of figuring this out together, you know that," she said.

She waited for his reply which was taking so long she wondered if he had hung up on her. Then she heard a knock on her door and hung up before going to answer it since she knew who it was. Opening the door, she was greeted by a not too thrilled looking Crews who was trying to cover up his displeasure with that small, plastic smile of his.

"If I take you with me tomorrow, I get to sleep on your couch tonight," he said.

Dani opened the door wide and stepped back to let her partner in, "Deal."


End file.
